Toyama Ryu Kata 戸山流 形

The eight Toyama Ryu kata were adapted from the original training
kata from the Toyama Military Academy. Kata teach the student
how to move, draw, defend, and attack efficiently. They
present scenarios where the enemy attacks from different directions
and instructs the student how to deal with the situation. They
are the main training tool for Japanese Swordsmanship. You can
find details of the kata at
Toyama Ryu
Kata.

Each of the kata teaches different lessons. It is important
to know the purpose of each detailed movement, but it may take the
student time to understand the nuances. Basic movement must be
learned first. It is through the understanding of the subtle
details that we reach a true understanding of our art. There
are lessons to be learned the first time a kata is done, and still
lessons to be learned after doing that kata hundreds or even
thousands of times. It is not about the memorization of many
kata, it is about the true understanding of a few.